Remote control (RC) receiver devices are now being employed in a wide variety of electronic devices such as television sets (TVs), video cassette recorders (VCRs), digital video disc (DVD) players, personal computers (PCs), laptop computers, notebook PCs, and other types of devices. RC receiver devices receive electromagnetic signals that are transmitted over an air interface from an RC transmitter device operated by a user. The electromagnetic signals are typically infrared (IR) signals. A photodiode of the RC receiver produces electrical signals in response to receiving the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the RC transmitter device. The electrical signals produced by the photodiode are converted into digital signals, which are then processed by the IC of the RC receiver device. The IC produces an output signal that is used by the electronic device in which the RC receiver device is employed (e.g., a laptop computer) to cause the electronic device to perform some function (e.g., run a particular application software program).
The RC receiver device is typically mounted on a circuit board and connections are made between conductors of the circuit board and the input/output (I/O) pads of the IC of the RC receiver device. The circuit board having the RC receiver device mounted on it is then installed in the electronic device and electrical connections are made between the I/O ports of the circuit board and devices or components of the electronic device.
Like RC receiver devices, ambient light photosensor devices are now being employed in a variety of electronic devices such as flat panel TVs, PCs, laptop computers, notebook PCs home lighting systems, and wireless handheld devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones. The ambient light photosensor devices sense the level of ambient light in the surroundings and adjust the brightness of a TV screen or of the display monitor of a computer or handheld device so that the lighting level is not too bright or too dark given the current ambient light level in the surroundings.
Ambient light photosensor devices typically include an IC having an ambient light photosensor on it that senses the level of ambient light in the surroundings and produces an electrical signal that is converted into a digital signal for processing by the IC of the ambient light photosensor device. The IC produces an output signal that is used by the electronic device in which the ambient light sensor device is employed to cause the electronic device to perform some function (e.g., adjust the brightness level of the TV screen or PC display monitor).
An ambient light photosensor device is typically mounted on a circuit board and connections are made between conductors of the circuit board and the I/O pads of the IC of the ambient light sensor device. The circuit board having the IC mounted on it is then installed in the electronic device and electrical connections are made between the I/O ports of the circuit board and components or device of the electronic device.
Many electronic devices now employ both RC receiver devices and ambient light photosensor devices. For example, a flat panel TV sold today will typically include one circuit board that has the RC receiver device mounted on it and another circuit board that has the ambient light sensor device mounted on it. Each circuit board consumes a significant amount of space in the electronic device. Of course, a major goal in manufacturing many consumer electronic devices is to reduce their size. To achieve this goal, manufacturers are constantly searching for ways to efficiently use the available space. However, the number and types of functions that many electronic devices perform continue to increase, which make it ever increasingly difficult to achieve the goal of reducing device size. Furthermore, using separate circuit boards for the RC receiver device and the ambient light photosensor device increases costs.
Accordingly, a need exists for a way to incorporate an RC receiver device and an ambient light photosensor device into an electronic device efficiently in terms of space utilization in the electronic device, thereby making it possible to reduce the overall size of the electronic device and/or to incorporate additional devices into the electronic device that provide it with additional functionality.